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Publication - Advice and guidance

Short term lets - licensing scheme part 1: guidance for hosts and operators

Published
25 June 2021
Topic
Building, planning and design, Business, industry and innovation, Communities and third sector, +2 more … Economy, Housing
ISBN
9781802010862

Draft licensing guidance intended for hosts and operators of short-term lets inScotland. There is also supplementary guidance for licensing authorities to which you can refer for more detailed information.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Annex C

Renewal process illustration

Example 1: Licence renewal determined following expiry of original licence
Gantt chart illustrating the process for renewing a licence where the application for renewal is made in advance of the original licence expiring but the application for renewal is not determined until after the original licence has expired.
  • In this scenario, the applicant applies for a new licence 3 full months ahead of the initial expiry date.
  • The licensing authority have not determined the renewal application by the time the licence expires.
  • Therefore the original licence is extended, until the licensing authority have determined the renewal application.
  • In this example, the original licence is extended to cover a period of 3.5 years, and the renewal is approved, and shortened to 2.5 years - the equivalent of two 3 year licences.
  • Please note that licensing authorities can choose to issue licences with durations of less than 3 years and renew licences for longer than 3 years.
Example 2: Licence renewal determined prior to expiry of original licence
Gantt chart illustrating the process for renewing a licence where the application for renewal is made in advance of the original licence expiring and the application for renewal is also determined before the original licence has expired.
  • In this scenario, the applicant applies for a new licence 4 full months ahead of the initial expiry date.
  • The licensing authority approve the application 2 months ahead of the licence expiry.
  • Therefore the original licence runs until the 3 year period expires, and the new licence starts following the expiry of the previous licence.
  • In this example, two 3 year licences run back to back.
  • Please note that licensing authorities can choose to issue licences with durations of less than 3 years and renew licences for longer than 3 years.
Example 3: Renewal application made after expiry of original licence
Gantt chart illustrating the process for renewing a licence where the application for renewal is made after the expiry of the original licence. In this case, the application is treated as a new application, rather than a renewal application.
  • In this example, two 3 year licences are separated by a period of time during which the applicant cannot operate the short-term let to which the application relates, as a renewal application was not submitted prior to the original licence expiry date.
  • The applicant applies for a new licence 1 month after their initial licence expires.
  • The original licence expires at the end of 3 years. As the renewal application was made following the expiry of the original licence, it is treated as a new application rather than a renewal. Therefore, the applicant must wait until their new application has been determined before they can operate again.
  • Note that local authorities can choose to issue licences with durations of less than 3 years.

Contact

Email: shorttermlets@gov.scot

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